Gossyplure, a 60/40 mixture of Z,Z and Z,E stereoisomers of 7,11-hexadecadienyl acetate, is a known pheromone for several insect species. In order to make this compound widely available for use in insect control, economic large scale synthetic conversion processes must be developed. One of the most promising synthetic conversion processes developed to date is the process whereby 1,5,9-tetradecatriene is metallated to produce a 1-metallo-5,9-tetradecadiene, which compound is then homologized by addition of a C.sub.2 -synthon, then esterified as needed to produce the desired gossyplure-like product.
A key to the success of the above-described synthetic route is the availability of a triene starting material with a stereochemical content that approaches as closely as possible the 60/40 Z,Z to Z,E ratio for the internal double bonds of the triene, as observed in naturally occurring gossyplure.